Baseball Recruit Spotlight: Tyson Mickie

It is time to change lanes a bit and switch gears. GoMiddle has been covering the movers and the shakers from the recruiting trail, whether that's football or basketball. This time we spice things up and focus on some baseball.

For this spotlight, we focus on recently signed Blue Raider, Tyson Mickie.

Mickie is a versatile outfielder who officially announced his signing with MTSU on November 15, 2019.

Prior to signing with the Blue Raiders, Mickie pledged to MT back in August of 2019.

Below is some footage of Mickie.

What High School did you attend and what was the classification of baseball?

I attended Jefferson High school in Tampa, Florida, before I moved with my dad in Georgia my senior year, where I attended Sequoyah High School.

What position do you intend to play at MT?

I intend to play in the outfield and more than likely will play center or right.

Do you have a secondary position you are capable of playing?

I’m not sure if I will play anywhere else, but I did make for a mean catcher my freshman and sophomore year. I pitched a little, too, but mainly because I threw hard. I’d consider myself on the mound a thrower and not a pitcher, but very competitive nonetheless.

What is your current height and weight?

I currently am six-feet and weigh 180 pounds.

Your most recent season was cancelled, correct? Where were you and what were your thoughts when you heard the news?

The craziest part was that we were mid-game when it all went down. It was a normal day until the opposing team's administrator came over with a clipboard and told us we had to finish the inning and that was it. We were super happy, of course, because at the time, it was just a two week suspension, but once it got extended and then cancelled our hearts were heavy. I however, had a gut feeling the instant she came over that this was it for 2020.

What side do you bat?

I am both a right-handed hitter and thrower, although I have done some experiments throwing lefty.

What number would you like to wear in college?

I would absolutely love to wear number 17 in college. Unfortunately, I believe that number has been taken already.

What do you want to study at MT and why?

At MTSU, I plan to be a pro-flight major, because I’ve wanted to be a pilot since I could speak. In fact, my first words were “the moon."

Have you spoken with other signees and players on the team? Thoughts about them?

I have spoken to Carter [Edge], Bryce [Symlar], Kam [Johnson], and Briggs [Rutter]. They are all great guys and will definitely do big things at MT.

What have you been doing to stay in baseball shape?

To stay in baseball shape while the gyms were closed I did this at home workout coach Hunt sent us. To make it more difficult, I duct taped milk jugs on a broom stick to make a makeshift squat bar and bench press. I’ve also been doing live at-bats, and I am just now starting up with the East Cobb Astros.

What are your goals for your freshman year at MT? Do you have a goal for stats like batting average?

Rather than average, one of my coaches told me to go for bases a game. For example; a double would be two bases and stealing third would equal three. If I try to go for six to seven bases a game it’ll look good in the stat book as well as boosting our team. I’d much rather help the team than help myself, so I try not to assign a hard number to my batting average. I do plan to snag 20 plus bases my freshman year.

Why choose MTSU?

I chose MTSU because I will honestly say the coaches believed in me. They were willing to develop their players rather than forcing them to be a finished product. One of the things about coach Toman that stuck out is his determination to get guys playing at the best of the ability and get them drafted. He wants to utilize everyone’s individual strengths to make us a well rounded team and dominate team. After I left my visit I couldn’t think of it getting any better than that. Also, all the people I met were super kind and really welcoming. It made Murfreesboro feel like home the first time I’d ever been.

What other schools did you consider?

I was in the works with Purdue, Embry Riddle and a few other schools that had flight programs. MTSU undoubtedly seemed like the best fit.

Longest home run you have ever hit?

Oh man, I was taking batting practice a little while ago and absolutely crushed a ball into the parking lot with a wood bat about 385 feet. Whenever I muscle up and try to hit bombs I always mess up. It’s whenever I relax my shoulders and catch one out front that I hit it out the park. I'm a big middle to back side linedrive guy, though. I try to think of homeruns as rising line drives.